Gießen (ddp). Cardiovascular diseases are the most common causes of death in the Western world. A vasoconstriction progressive over years is in most cases. Giessener scientists have further clarified the still largely unsolved mechanisms that lead to this disease, together with colleagues from Marburg and Dresden. You were able to show that a body enzyme called FSAP, plays a key role. The shares with the Justus-Liebig-University Giessen. FSAP cleaves and inactivates the growth factor PDGF, who is responsible mainly for cell proliferation in diseased blood vessels. By it will prevent the harmful effects of PDGF on the vessel wall, FSAP protects the vessels usually menacing Narrowings. However, about 5% of the population have a defect in the gene for the FSAP, which results in that it no longer can inactivate the harmful growth factor PDGF. The studies of Giessen scientists now suggest that people with this genetic defect are significantly more susceptible to narrow vascular diseases and thus may have an increased risk of a stroke or heart attack. Further clinical studies will be reviewed now, the risk of people with this genetic defect is to suffer a new vascular after elongation of the vessels by a heart catheterization. In addition, the scientists want to find out whether a therapeutic benefit can be achieved in narrowing vascular diseases by influence of the FSAP.